The key to Metropolis
by E-chan DOLL
Summary: Kenichi's always carried with him, the only peice of Tima recovered. But what if it had greater power than what he'd expected? What if it could lead to Metropolis' downfall once again?
1. Default Chapter

The great city was no more. Nothing but a crumbling ruin in which worker robots and human beings were struggling to rebuild. No longer did the glass skyscrapers tower above the busy roads. No longer did the inhabitants walk carefree and happily along. No longer did the voice on the speakers blare "Welcome to Metropolis". That was how Kenichi remembered the city as he boarded the plane to Tokyo. He'd done all he could to help, it was time to go home.

The boy was only fourteen at the time, standing in line at the airport. He could look out of the huge glass window and see the city, or what remained of it. He remembered it before, when it was still a futuristic cityscape. And with that memory, came another. The memory of her…

The green-haired boy sharply turned from the window and looked instead at the back of the person standing in front of him in line. It would be good for him, his mother had said on the phone, for him to come home and allow himself time to rest. It was a good idea. There was nothing for him here anymore.

Kenichi unconsciously slipped his hand into his pocket for his ticket but instead found something else. His fingers curled loosely around the small metal object as he fished it from his jacket and stared at it in his hand. Again memories flooded to him. Her. A robot, yes, but so different from the rest. She was beautiful. She felt so real. _Felt_ like a human. Looked and acted like a human. But she wasn't… Not at all.

The line began to move and Kenichi was herded along with the other passengers ready to get on the plane. He handed his ticket over and went in. People slowly filed into the airplane, happy to forget the destruction and fear that Metropolis had brought them. Kenichi found his seat and slumped down next to a mother and her daughter of about four years. The boy offered the girl a tired smile, as she looked nervous to be on the plane, clutching her mother's hand.

The small girl raised her eyes to look at him and meekly smiled back. Moments later, the plane took off into the clear blue sky. Kenichi stared out the window, looking one last time at the city. They would rebuild it, life would continue as per usual. And even Kenichi was happy to leave it. He had fallen for a robot. She'd nearly had him fooled. Again he looked at the piece of metal in his hand. All that was left of her… He shoved the metal into his pocket again and pulled the blind down over the window.

_Kenichi… who am I? Who am I? _

"TIMA!" A teenage boy bolted upright in his bed, gripping the sheets tightly in his fists, his body glistened with sweat. He breathed heavily, staring at the darkness before it came to mind that he had been dreaming. His eyes slid closed and he sighed, falling back onto the mattress. In his room, he watched the ceiling fan spinning while he tried to calm down. Just a dream… just a dream. But he had it all the time, sometimes twice in one night. Since he'd stopped taking his medication a year ago, the dreams had returned to him, haunting him… calling to him.

Now nearly eighteen, Kenichi had returned to his home in Tokyo with his mother and little sister. He hadn't been to Metropolis since he'd left it almost four years ago. He'd been plagued by the dreams night after night. He rarely slept well. His worried mother had him take medication for the dreams but it left him feeling groggy and irritable all the time. He couldn't live like that either.

At seventeen, Kenichi had a fair paying job, just broken it off with his girlfriend, was planning to move out and he had big dreams of being an engineer or a lawyer. He was trying to live his life, gathering the pieces, putting them together. Metropolis had been one small part; it hardly mattered in the big picture.

But it _did_ matter. He couldn't ever forget about it. It could, at times, near drive him mad as he could only think of what might have been. Of course, then his logical side would bring him back to earth. There was no what might have been. There was nothing. He had nothing there. Everything was here. Everything he wanted, here. His life, his family.

"Why do you haunt me?" he said out loud into the dark while he held one hand over his forehead. "Why? _Why?_"

He slipped out of bed, putting a pair of jeans over his boxers and left his room. He walked quietly down the hall and into the kitchen where he opened the fridge. The light illuminated the room for a moment and someone sitting at the table squinted against the light.

She cleared her throat and banged the bottom of her glass on the table. Kenichi whirled around, dropping the jug of water he had been holding. Sitting there was a girl a little younger than him, perhaps sixteen. She was small framed, pale, fragile looking. Her hair was long and dark green like his, with large brown eyes. Despite the time of night, she was fully dressed.

"Bro" she said, nodding her head once and sipping from her glass.

Kenichi realized one hand was clutching his chest and he let it drop down. "Ridoru… you scared me! What are you doing up, anyways?" He was a bit angry with his sister for scaring him.

"I just got home" she responded, shrugging. She looked at him, concern apparent on her face. "You alright?"

"Just a dream" Kenichi sighed, picking up the jug of water and pouring himself a glass. Really, if he drank anything else during the night, he'd never get back to sleep.

"Ah" Ridoru nodded as though she shared his grief and lack of sleep.

"I'm going for a walk" Kenichi said when he'd finished drinking. "I'll be back soon." He went to his room again, putting on a shirt before setting out into the warm summer night. He enjoyed it most at night. The air was warm but not hot like the day was. There wasn't the endless noise of traffic jams, people chattering to one another. It was easy to feel like he was the only person in the world. It really was lonely…

Tokyo wasn't like Metropolis, though it was a huge city in itself. It was late, but the signs continued flashing, music sounded from clubs, people were still out and about, mingling. The light pollution had long ago made it impossible to see the stars, but then, no one seemed to care. Everyone went on with their lives, not stopping to think twice about it. Kenichi included. He'd rarely seen the clear night sky.

As he walked down the street, only occasionally being passed by a car, Kenichi stopped fighting himself and gave in to the thoughts. It no longer made him cry to think of her. Suddenly he was frustrated with himself. "Why am I still thinking of her after all this time?!"

"Maybe you loved her, ever think of that?" In the shadows, the figure of a man was leaning against the building, just finishing a cigarette and he flicked it onto the ground. His eyes were hidden by a pair of sunglasses but everything else about him was familiar.

Kenichi took a step back, eyes wide. "You."

"That's Rock" the man answered, grinning. "Nice you remembered me."

"You're… you're… but I thought…" Kenichi stammered.

Rock raised his head to get a better look at Kenichi. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking. "You thought I died" he finished for him.

"Why are _you_ here?" Kenichi felt anger flare up inside him.

"Why are you?" Rock countered. 

Kenichi stared, confused. "I live here."

"But you'd rather be there, right?"

"No"

"Heh. You lie" Rock continued to grin smugly. He straightened, taking a step towards the boy. Kenichi, in turn, warily took a step back. "Hey, can't we put the past behind us? Come on, I have nothing to live for now either."

"I have lots to live for!" the younger man snapped, turning away from him. "And whatever it is you want, I've decided I don't care. I've put that part of my life behind me."

Rock chuckled, amused. "No you haven't. And neither have I. Have you seen the city since you left before?" The brown-haired man sighed a little. "It's really come a long way already, everything is being rebuilt. It might never look the same, but it's close…"

"Look, that's wonderful, really it is, but I don't care." Kenichi walked off, aware of Rock following him. He wouldn't show it, but he felt afraid. Rock probably still carried a gun with him.

"Just hear me out, would you?" Rock called to him. "You remember that android. Really, it was a huge waste. She was more powerful then you thought, eh?" He started laughing. Rage boiled over in Kenichi and he stormed back to Rock, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt.

"What are you here for?! Tell me before I kill you!"

Rock stopped laughing but continued to grin as he pried the boy's hands off him easily. "Somehow I doubt you to be capable of killing anything."

"I can be very unpredictable"

"So I see. I've been living in Metropolis for a while after the whole big Revolution ordeal. Everyone would just as soon forget the whole thing, but the truth of the matter is that there are still rebels around. They're completely against the robots… All except one."

"What?"

"There's gonna be trouble again very soon. That little puppet of yours might be 'dead' but everything they need is on one tiny microchip. It happens to be on that piece of metal you've been carrying with you these four years."

Kenichi blinked rapidly, backing up. "Wh-why are you doing this? Why are bringing me more pain?"

He never could shake the image of her as she fell. Her skin was so white it almost glowed, but most of it had been ripped away to reveal the metallic parts underneath. Her one good green eye stared up at him. The wind whipped her short blond hair around her face. It was at that moment that it became painfully clear that she wasn't human. She was a machine like the rest. A well built machine, but still a machine. Kenichi couldn't save her. She was a robot, but he was so sure she had emotions. So sure… maybe she didn't. Maybe that too was part of her programming.

_"Kenichi… who am I… I?" _

"You think you were in pain?!" Rock's smile had faded and he too looked enraged. "You think you were the only one that suffered?! Think again! You had your uncle and a family in Tokyo to go running home to! I had nothing!" Rock's fist suddenly connected with Kenichi's jaw and the boy went flying backwards.

Kenichi recalled fighting with Rock before. He hadn't won then either.  

Wincing, the green-haired boy raised his eyes as Rock advanced on him. He scrambled to get up and fight. He felt a trickle of blood from the corner of his lip.

"I was alone!" Rock said brokenly. He almost sounded like he was about to cry. "I was scared… Everyone was glad to dismiss me as just another fucked up orphan. But I refuse to be what they want…"

Kenichi stood up, wobbling a moment but regained his balance. He wouldn't be caught off guard again.

"Kenichi, I can pretend to move on. _You_ can pretend to move on. But we're both miserable and we're both pretty damn messed up in the head from it all."

It was true, anyways. Whether he believed it or not, it was true. He couldn't move on. He could stay in denial, but it was useless. The boy seemed to visibly relax. "Yeah…" Kenichi sighed. "You're right."

"You have the heart of that puppet. You've been carrying it with you the whole time. It has valuable information stored in it. Do you have it with you now?"

Kenichi reached into his pocket but found nothing. "It's at home."

"We have to get it. _Now_." Rock turned and hurried away and Kenichi followed after him.

"But why?" he asked.

"Because they want it."

"Who does?"

"I don't have time to tell you right now!" Rock responded, frustrated. "We're going to get it and then you're going to give it to me."

"No! No I can't! It's… it's all I have left of her!" 

"Then you'll have to come with me to Metropolis"

Kenichi stopped, looking frightened. Even when Rock went on ahead, Kenichi remained with his feet planted into the ground. The thought of going back now terrified him. "I can't… No, I can't go back there… you don't understand."

"Like hell I don't! I'm going through what you are. Tough it out and let's get going"

The two reached Kenichi's apartment but were surprised to find the door already wide open. They looked at each other then snuck in quietly, almost immediately greeted by half a dozen men dressed in black, wearing masks to cover their faces. One of them grabbed Kenichi roughly by the shoulders.

"Where is it, boy?" he demanded, shaking him.

"Get back!" Rock whipped out a handgun and shot the man in the head. He dropped down without a sound and Kenichi just stared, open mouthed as blood ran onto the carpet. Rock didn't look phased at the fact that he'd just killed someone. He grabbed Kenichi's arm and pushed his way through the crowded living room into Kenichi's room.

Rock turned and locked the door. "They'll kill us now" he sighed. "So where is it?"

Kenichi fumbled through his drawers and finally saw the metallic glint amongst the clothing. He held it up. "Got it."

"Let's go out the back"

"But my mom and sister are still in here!"

"They've already got them by now"

"I can't just _leave _them!"

"You can and you will!" Rock pushed Kenichi out the back door onto the balcony then herded him down the stairs. The two of them fled out into the street and Rock flagged down a taxi. They slid into the car and it sped off into the night.


	2. Two

"Hey, I'm sorry…" Rock said quietly, for once in his life actually acting remorseful. The taxi ride to the airport was silent. Kenichi stared idly out the window at the city rushing by. He squeezed the piece of metal in his hand and said nothing. "I know this is all hard for you… But they wouldn't hurt your mom and sister. They'll be alright, we'll find them."

"I know we will. It's not that…"

"Believe me, I didn't want to bring up bad memories" Rock continued, softly.

Kenichi turned from the window, smiling a bit. "None of the memories I have of Tima are bad ones. I only wish I could've saved her…"

"Now that my father is dead, I suppose I don't have a reason to hate her." Rock chuckled a bit, shaking his head. "I thought she was replacing me I guess… Damn I was a stupid kid…"

The night had eventually become rainy as the two men reached the airport. Rock hurriedly purchased tickets and they boarded the next plane in less than two hours. When the plane touched down, Rock swiveled his head from the window and the glow of the city lights. Kenichi was asleep; his head leaning back while his eyes moved under his eye lids rapidly. He was dreaming. Rock sighed and nudged him roughly.

"Wake up. We're here." Kenichi jolted awake, sitting up straighter and looking to Rock with a bit of annoyance. "Come on, we've landed." Rock undid his seat belt, standing up and stretching. He cracked his neck. "Ugh, that ride felt like forever…"

Kenichi got up as well to stretch and then shuffled down the aisle past the rows of mostly empty seats. Rock followed close behind him. They went through the airport that was teeming with people even at such an hour. But then, it was an airport. Kenichi felt a dull grumble in his stomach.

"Can we eat something?"

"Not now" Rock growled. It was raining in Metropolis too as they headed out. Kenichi was not only hungry, but tired. Somehow, being in this city again had little effect on him. He didn't react the way he'd expected to. He didn't have a nervous breakdown, he didn't lose his mind.

As they left the terminal, Rock turned to face him. "You got money?"

"A bit" Kenichi responded.

"Enough for a hotel room?"

"A cheap one"

"One of those motels then, the ones where they dump dead bodies under the beds." Rock grinned and chuckled, the light reflecting off his sunglasses. Kenichi wondered if Rock wore those glasses to hide himself.

They got to a motel, paid for a room and went down the hall. Kenichi stared at the key in his hand then stopped at the door marked 34. He put the key in the hole and turned. The door squeaked open to reveal a room painted an ugly yellow. There was one queen-sized bed, a dresser, a lamp, and a small TV. Kenichi stepped inside.

"Quaint little place, isn't it?" Rock said, resting his hands on his hips and surveying the room. "Wonder if the bed feels as shitty as it looks?" He went over to it, pushing down on the mattress with his hands. The bed squeaked.

"Rock," Kenichi suddenly looked at him, worried. "I don't have anything. No clothes, no toothbrush, no razor, not anything!"

"You have your health" Rock offered, smirking.

"You're a riot, really"

"I try…" The man wearing the sunglasses took one last look around the room then turned and headed for the door. "Well, goodnight I guess. I'll be back bright and early."

"Wha? Where are you going?" Kenichi asked.

"Heh. I'm not sleeping in here with you. I ain't a homo." He chuckled again and left. Kenichi muttered to himself. He was tired, hungry and most important, lonely. He thought of his mother and sister. Were they alright? But he didn't want to lay awake. He had to think with a clear mind. Right now, everything was clouded in his head. The boy shed his clothes, flicked off the lamp and slumped into the bed. The mattress creaked, as if protesting then one side of it went down.

Rock headed to his own apartment, conveniently located across the street from Kenichi's hotel. He tossed his keys and jacket onto the couch and flopped down on the leather with a long sigh. He could use a smoke right about now. The man took off his sunglasses and set them aside. At least he had more than enough money to live on. He still wasn't used to the comfortable lifestyle he could now afford. Duke Red, surprisingly, had left a lot of money to his one and only 'son'.

With another sigh, Rock's head sunk back and rested against the back of the couch. He closed his eyes for a brief moment before hearing a shuffling noise coming from elsewhere in the apartment. "Hey, be quiet would ya? I have a headache" he called. The shuffling stopped.

He didn't hear anything and yet someone came up behind him, slowly. Rock felt a pressure on his shoulder and jumped, whirling around to face the person behind him.

"What the hell!"

"I am sorry. You should use Tylenol for your pains."

Rock relaxed but continued to glare. "I don't need any fucking Tylenol." He turned away from them. "Now leave me alone. Go… read or something."

"That's what I meant to tell you, I have read every book in your house including the magazines in that box under your bed."

Rock scrambled up now, glaring worse than ever. "You read those! I told you, anything under my bed, you keep your damn hands off of!"

The robot didn't register his anger. Human emotions were not part of her function. She turned her head to one side, blinking with a mechanical sound. A pale young woman with blonde hair and green eyes. She was clad in a pair of loose fitting flannel pajamas. To anyone, she looked like a normal sixteen year old girl. But inside, she was a machine, disguised, yes, but still a machine. Rock was looking to change that.

The girl lowered her eyes. Child-like eyes, large and wondering. Odd on a girl her age. It gave her a sort of innocent look. Rock's anger faded a bit and he ran a hand through his hair. "Tell me."

"Yes?" she asked.

"I have Kenichi here. Do you know him?"

The robot hesitated then shook her head slowly. "No, I do not."

"Keh. It's terrible; you'd forget your own loved one. He hasn't forgotten you."

"I have not met him" she responded in the same monotone. "I do not love. I am a robot, not human, only designed to look human. My purpose is to serve my creators, protect them and…"

"And live among them without complaint" Rock finished for her. "I know, and frankly, you need to learn something new."

"Like what?"

"Aw, go away." Rock flicked his wrist at her, gesturing for her to go elsewhere. "I'm tired, I need to sleep. You wouldn't know anything about that though, would you?" He slumped down again, trying to relax long enough to fall asleep. She padded around the couch and stood in front of him.

"This Ken-i-chi" she said slowly. "He has what I need, doesn't he?"

"He does indeed. I'm kinda surprised he kept that piece of crap tin but whatever. He won't part with it though, at least not without a reasonable explanation as to why he should." Rock yawned, closing his eyes. "If you want to make me happy, you'll go make yourself scarce for a few hours while I sleep."

"Understood." She turned and left him. Rock sighed, getting comfortable. What would Kenichi do if he knew his beloved was among the living? At least, her image was. Her heart and soul remained with him. Those worker robots had shown odd behavior in the aftermath of the Revolution. Rock had noticed, lying in his hospital bed day by day, that he kept hearing news of the robots gathering pieces of their fallen android comrade. At the time, the boy could only feel bitterness towards the robot girl but in the months it took him to fully recover from his wounds, Rock's curiosity had gotten the better of him…

_Ambling among the debris of the city, the gun-toting boy moved along with stealth and agility. He crawled along a slab of concrete, over to the edge and peered down into the fissure among the crumbled buildings. The sky overhead was dark and clear. Most of the electricity was still out in Metropolis and because of that, the stars could be seen perfectly. Rock was using the darkness as his cover and a small, battery powered lantern as his only source of light. _

_Lying on his belly, he held the lantern over the fissure and could clearly make out the shapes of the worker robots as they worked tirelessly to retrieve pieces. Rock peered closer, having to lean down a bit to do so. It was quite a drop from the slab into the hole and he didn't want to risk injury by leaning over to far, should he happen to fall. He could see the shadowy shape of a metallic skeleton being pieced together like a puzzle. The puppet was being rebuilt. He couldn't let it happen. _

_Changing position, Rock shut one eye and took aim, like a sniper at one of the robots. He fired his gun and the shell flew out and clanked against the ground. It was a perfect, clean shot through the robot's head. It shook violently, sparks shooting from its body then slumped to the ground. Rock smirked, reloading and firing at another robot that too went down without a fuss. _

_"Like shooting fish in a barrel" Rock said aloud to himself. He fired twice more, "killing" two other robots. There were still several more but by now they had noticed the commotion and had begun to scatter. Rock swung his legs over the edge of the slab he has been occupying and leapt off, falling for a few seconds before he landed on the ground below. The gravel crunched under his shoes and he grunted, standing up straight again. He'd been in rough condition the past few months, it was a wonder he didn't break his leg from the landing. _

_Approaching the skeleton, Rock stood and held his lantern over it to get a better look. It was her, alright. The robots had done a pretty good job, thus far, but her body was far from being completely rebuilt. He growled, kicking the mangled body. It slid easily a few inches across the ground, being light but very strong. Stronger than a real skeleton anyways. Most of Tima's weight was made up of her wiring and outer layers. The skeleton was hardly anything. _

_"If they don't have the skeleton, they'll never complete you" Rock said in a mockingly sad voice, kneeling down to the skeleton's level, as if it could hear him. He stood up again, raising his boot over the head, preparing to bring it down on the skull and shatter it. He never got the chance._

_"You there!" A beam of light passed over Rock's form and he turned, confused to see someone standing at the top of the fissure. Just the shadow of someone, but it was a full-grown man with a flashlight. "What are you doing down there? You're not authorized to be here!" _

_Slightly panicking, Rock scooped the skeleton up in his arms and ran. The light followed him until he vanished into a dark crevice. "Get back here! Stop! STOP!" the man shouted. But it was no use, Rock was already moving along through the rubble. He turned off his lantern and abandoned it then kept moving, still holding the skeleton in his hands. He eventually crouched in a hole, hiding. He heard shouts and footsteps of several men all around the area but they'd never find him. _

_Still, why would they go to such ridiculous lengths to keep him away? Surely they didn't suspect him of looting. The city had been looted, turned upside down and inside out, everything of value was long gone. Did it have to do with the robot skeleton he held in his arms? Why would anyone take an interest in rebuilding the one thing that had destroyed the city in the first place? Though, if someone did want her rebuilt, it would've explained why the worker robots had done it without reason. Perhaps someone had ordered them to. _

_"Ugh, whatever" Rock mumbled. He couldn't leave his hiding place now. He remained there, unable to relax until morning when the voices and the sounds had faded away. Everything ached and protested when he moved, crawling out of the hole. The grey early morning sky greeted him. He grunted, pulling the skeleton out with him and standing up, holding it. In a hurry, he ran from the area and returned only once again in another night to retrieve the other pieces of her. _

Though he wasn't a genius mechanic, he eventually rebuilt Tima with a few changes to make her look older. Only when he'd finally sat back and taken a look at the completed robot had he realized how ridiculous he was being. Why had he gone to all this trouble, working tirelessly to rebuild this little puppet? The answer didn't come to him. It was almost like, dare he think it, he was under a spell.


End file.
